Lean on me
by Brueghel
Summary: Avon gets shot when he and Vila are stuck on a hostile planet. Avon/Vila and a little Avon/Cally.


_**Notes**: I always thought the writers didn't do right by Vila in the series by writing him the way they did. This is my view on how he should have been written. Early season-1, gen, mainly featuring Avon and Vila with a little Avon/Cally at the end._

LEAN ON ME

Vila's fear that he would be chosen to help out on the planet Tri Q was well-founded. Blake assigned him to assist Avon. They would sneak into the base where Avon would feed their computer system a virus that would spread to every Federation computer in the galaxy.

A good plan. Great in its simplicity. And it all went horribly wrong.

They had barely been able to make it out of the complex alive. The bracelets were useless because Blake and his crew were engaged in a battle with no less than seven pursuit ships. If ever there was evidence for a set-up then this was it. He could almost hear Avon say I told you so.

They finally managed to shake off the Federation troops when darkness descended on them like a gift from heaven. After hours of wandering through the woods, with no idea where they were heading, Avon spotted a small cabin. Inside they found nothing more than a bed made of leaves and old piece of cloth for a blanket. No food, no weapons, no way to contact the Liberator and only five hours until the sun would rise again.

And to make matters worse: Avon was injured.

When they had made certain that the cabin was a safe place for now, he collapsed against the wall. In the pale moonlight that fell through the holes in the roof, Vila could see that the man was in pain. He was wet with perspiration and his face seemed to be glowing.

"What...?"

Vila was with him in an instant and broke a light stick.

"Careful with those, you idiot..." Avon had to catch his breath before he could finish his sentence. "...they can't be very far behind us!"

Vila didn't care and went over Avon's body with the dim light. His eyes grew wide when he discovered a huge dark stain on his jacket in the shoulder area.

"You got shot."

"Yes, I know you fool."

Avon gasped when he felt his legs buckle and he slid down against the wall.

Vila didn't know a thing about first aid and a sudden panic grabbed him by the throat. If Avon was out, then he would be all alone. Federation guards on his heels and Blake far out of teleport reach. He was doomed.

At least with Avon by his side he knew he would have stood a chance. The man was an arrogant Alpha, but in spite of the fact that his class had led a very easy and sheltered life, Avon proved to be resourceful in every situation. He always knew what to do. Vila was totally useless in a crisis. His brain would refuse to function properly and fear would take over.

He knelt down beside Avon who was obviously in a lot of pain and asked him what to do.

"I'm ...probably bleeding to death..." Even in this state Avon managed to sound sarcastic. "Get me something to stop the bleeding..."

Vila turned around and held the light stick up, hoping to find something that might suffice. The one thing that only slightly resembled a bandage was the piece of cloth on the bed of leaves. Vila already started that way, but then decided that it might be too dangerous. It might cause an infection. So he took off his jacket and pulled off the shirt underneath. That was clean enough if you didn't count the sweat.

He put his jacket back on, pulled the zipper up and returned to Avon's side. He helped him unbuttoning his tunic and applied the shirt to the wound. He was glad that the light stick had lost most of its glow by then, because Avon couldn't help moaning when the fabric touched the wound. Vila really didn't want to look at it that closely. He already had a nauseating feeling in his stomach because of the nightmare visions that kept creeping into his mind about the severity of the tech's injury.

"What's that smell?" Avon croaked when Vila had managed to form his shirt into a bandage that would have to do for now.

"Mortal fear." Vila answered and hit the com button on his bracelet. "Blake, come in! We're in trouble here!"

"Don't bother."

They both knew there was a slim chance that Blake and the others had made it. Seven pursuit ships! Even Liberator could not outrun all the fire power they had.

Vila tried countless times but there was no reply. Eventually Avon had to shake him back to reality. He felt himself getting weaker by the minute. Vila was their only hope of surviving and he was useless if he clouded his mind with hysterical thoughts.

"Help me to the bed, will you?"

Avon started getting up, leaning heavily on Vila so he had to stop his futile efforts to reach Blake. Truth of the matter was, Avon could not have made it on his own. He was shivering and his legs refused to function properly.

After lowering the tech carefully, Vila sat down beside him and tried to suppress the panic he felt coming up the only way he could. He started babbling.

"What are we going to do? They'll find us sure as hell and it will only take them a milli-second to find out who and what we are. We're doomed we are. Doomed. I should have gone to school like my dear old mother wanted me to. "

The fact that Avon didn't tell him to shut up was really worrying. He had hoped that his senseless talking would distract the man from his pain, but Avon didn't even have the strength to produce a proper sneer to silence the thief.

A terrifying thought came to Vila when he realised that he didn't hear any breathing. It was pitch dark in this corner of the cabin so he decided to light another stick. The sound made Avon gasp and the sudden light flash, so close to his face, startled him. His body contracted in a spasm of pain at the sudden involuntary movement.

"Vila..."

His voice was a mere whisper. Vila leaned in, his ear nearly touching Avon's lips.

"You have to stop playing the fool. I know you for what you're worth. You'll get us out of this."

Vila was stunned into silence. Had these words left Avon's mouth in any other situation Vila would have laughed his head off. But the man was on his last breath. He meant it. Vila felt his body stiffen into paralyses. Avon laying down his life in the hands of a thief. He really was on his own now. Avon was also right, though. It had always been Vila's strategy to lean on others in times of danger. Simply because there were other, very capable people around to do the thinking for him. And Vila had always been content with letting others get away with the good ideas. Even when he'd thought of them himself.

It was safe not to be in charge. Safe not to be the one the others looked to in times of need. He had become so used to playing the fool in the company of his crew members on the Liberator that he'd almost forgotten what it was like to use his brain. He'd always thought it safe to hide behind a facade, because people never paid attention to a fool. Not everyone apparently. Avon had a better grasp of Vila than he thought possible. The fact that Avon was fully prepared to trust him in this steadied his nerves and he tried to get a grip on the situation.

First things first. Take care of the patient and then try and figure out what to do next.

"Want a drink?" Vila asked.

Avon nodded.

Vila retrieved the little flask from his pocket and lifted it to Avon's lips. The man's eyes grew wide after he had swallowed the first sip of adrenaline and soma and coughed away the rest. Vila's initial reaction was to pat his back but he decided against it. The tech was in too much pain already and his look was shooting daggers at Vila.

"Isn't it enough that they shot me?" he managed between coughs. " Get some water, you moron."

Vila went out in search for water. He hadn't a clue as to where he would find water in the pitch black of the woods. And he certainly had no intention of wandering off too far because he would probably get lost. He had barely set foot outside the cabin when he got the fright of his life. A sudden bright light blinded him and something grabbed him from behind. Strong hands forced him to his knees. When his eyes had gotten used to the light he counted three Federation troopers and their commander.

"Search the cabin.", the captain said.

The men went in, their torches flooding the small cabin in a sea of light. Vila could hear them rummaging about and then a sudden shot. He recognized the sound of a Liberator weapon. Then another shot.

Vila's body froze when he realized what must have happened. Avon had chosen the gallant way out. They had spoken of it once. Avon would not let himself get caught again. They both knew he would be subjected to torture and drugs and whatever other methods the Federation had at their disposal to extract information from unwilling subjects. Avon knew that he would be most valuable to the Federation. He knew Blake, he knew his plans and contacts, but above all: Avon was the only person who had knowledge of something that their arch-enemy Servalan valued even more. Avon knew the Liberator inside out and he knew its teleport system. If ever they got their hands on him, they would certainly release a whole regiment of their finest interrogators and doctors to retrieve information about that.

Avon wouldn't want to go down in history as the man who had betrayed Blake. Of course he always criticized the man and his ideals, always maintained that he was only in it for the Liberator and the contents of its strongroom, but Vila knew that Blake had gotten to him. And the others too. Vila knew. He felt the same.

His heart pounded in his chest when the troopers appeared in the cabin door, dragging behind them the body of his friend.

"Is he dead?" The captain asked.

"If he isn't he soon will be."

They dumped Avon unceremoniously at the commander's feet, where he lay stock-still. Vila suppressed a sigh of relief when he saw the man's chest steadily going up and down. The shot had probably just scratched his head. A thin line of blood trickled down his temple but even Vila could determine that the wound was superficial. Avon would not be granted an easy way out.

"Thank the Gods of the Universe. You got him."

Vila allowed his automatic pilot to take over. He fell to his knees and clung to the captain's legs. "I owe you my life, my Lord! This madman would certainly have shot me if you hadn't come along."

The captain had trouble keeping his balance with this stranger clinging to him. He ordered the troopers to drag Vila away. They frisked him but found nothing. When he'd knelt down before the captain, he had hidden his bracelet under the leaves near his feet. There was nothing else that could link him to the rebels. Vila had lost his weapon and his tools somewhere along the line. He had been ashamed to tell Avon. Now he regarded it as divine intervention. A chance to get them out alive.

"I owe you my life, Lord." Vila repeated and bowed his head in reverence for his noble rescuer.

"My whole life will be devoted to your well being."

Vila only hoped that the captain had little knowledge of the planet's population. Soldier usually only occupied themselves with the task at hand. The Federation didn't make in-depth studies of the traditions and habits of the inhabitants of the planets they wanted to conquer. Vila chanced and won for now. He heard the doubt in the young captain's voice when he asked who Vila was.

"I'm but an humble poacher my Lord. " Vila had learned early on in life that your lies should never be far from the truth in order to be credible. " I was minding my own business when I saw this man carrying this piece of filth into my cabin and..."

"Where is the other man?"

Vila saw him looking around and knew he was halfway there. The soldiers knew that the Liberator and its crew were the enemy, but from the very beginning it had been uncertain which convicts had been recruited by Blake. A petty thief didn't top the list of the most-wanted sheet. Convicts on Cygnus Alpha were more or less left to sink or swim and he guessed that no one ever came to check if a Vila Restal was actually still there. The soldiers were after rebels without names and faces. He stood a good chance of getting away with his act.

"He's probably miles away by now." Vila assured him. "I was just about to throw this one out of my cabin when he pulled a gun on me." To demonstrate his contempt he nudged Avon's ribs with his shoe in the safe assurance that his friend wouldn't feel anything. "What's he done then? Killed a man, I bet. He's got a killer's face."

"That doesn't concern you.", the captain said. " What's your name?"

"Jeb Kardar. At your service, sir."

The name came as natural as his own. He had used it on numerous occasions as an alias when it was better not to let on that Vila Restal was in town.

"Well, Jeb Kardar, you've got yourself a new job." The captain gave him a scrutinising look that spoke of a healthy distrust in this new ally. "You will help us with the prisoner and guide us through these woods in the morning. We'll stay here for the night."

They went into the cabin. Vila helped carry Avon inside and they put the unconscious man on the bed where the troopers had found him. Soon a fire was lit and Vila was able to warm himself. The air was humid and it had become chilly. The old cabin didn't provide any shelter against the weather outside.

Vila soon understood that the small detachment of four had lost their squad and apparently their communication and navigation equipment was destroyed by a lucky shot of Avon. That bought him some time to come up with a plan. But Vila knew the odds were against him. Alone, against four armed troopers and an injured Avon to carry if it would ever come to an escape...

Vila succeeded in ignoring the tech when he seemed to regain consciousness, but was glad when the captain assigned him to bring the prisoner some water. No doubt he wanted to see how the men reacted to each other.

Luckily Avon refrained from any comment or remark. He was barely conscious, pale and feverish. No doubt he had lost a vast amount of blood. If he didn't get any medical care soon he would probably bleed to death. He drank the water in small sips and ogled the captain who kept a close watch on the two men.

"Here y'are, mate" Vila said. "Serves you right for getting mixed up with the feds, he?"

If Avon hadn't gotten the message before, he certainly would have gotten it now. Vila would never dare call Avon his mate.

"What do they call you?" the captain asked.

"Avon."

"Who is the other one?"

Avon did not say a word but the chill in his eyes spoke of defiance.

"Don't worry, we'll soon find out.", the captain assured him. "We'll find the other bastard too."

At that precise moment Avon's bracelet began to chime.

"Come in Avon, where are you!"

Vila's heart skipped a bit. Cally! He was so glad to hear her voice, but kept in character.

"'ere, where did that come from?"

The captain retrieved the bracelet from Avon's wrist. It chimed in his hands.

"Avon, come in. "

The captain threw the bracelet a few feet away, got his weapon out of its holster and shot the thing to pieces. He then turned to Avon and pointed his gun at his chest.

"Who was that and where is this person?"

Avon felt himself slipping into a welcome numbness again. The only means of opposition he had left was to close his eyes and turn his head away from the captain.

But the young commander was eager. He was not satisfied with just one catch. He wanted more. He wanted an easy way to promotion and Avon was it. He moved closer to the prisoner and examined the wound in the dim light of the fireplace. By now Avon's whole chest was covered in blood. The captain pulled away Vila's bandage to painfully reveal an open wound. Avon tensed up to fight off the pain.

Vila steeled himself for what was about to come. He had seen the greed in the young captain's eyes. He was trained to be ruthless and would not hesitate to exercise his right to question any enemy of the Federation as he deemed appropriate.

The captain pushed the barrel of his weapon into the wound.

Vila had never heard such an outcry of excruciating pain in any human being. It made him physically ill. He doubled over and dropped the meagre contents of his stomach on the captain's boots. The young man lost control in disgust and hit out with the barrel of his stun-gun. Vila was thrown backwards into the arms of a mutoid. The trooper lost his balance and fell.

Everything happened very fast then. Vila suddenly had a stungun in his hands and before he knew it, he had fired twice. The captain and the trooper beside him were out. The two others tried to run for cover while retrieving their weapons, but Vila was surprisingly fast. It took only two shots to incapacitate them.

Then he was at Avon's side. The man was still fighting off the pain and Vila could see he was close to passing out again.

"Hold on, Avon. I'll get you out of this, I promise."

That was the last thing Avon saw. Vila's face, scared and dirty, his tear-filled eyes grave and sincere. Then it became too much of an effort to keep his eyelids open and Avon let himself slide into a painless nothingness.

* * *

When he opened them again he saw a different pair of eyes upon him. Big, gentle and dark.

"Welcome back."

He felt her hand on his forehead. A divine feeling, even if she was only checking if the fever had gone. It lingered on his temple for a brief moment, gentle fingers stroking the skin lightly before she broke the physical contact. Up close, he saw how pale she was. Shades under her eyes, the lines on her forehead a little more pronounced than usual. She had nursed him back to health.

He was flattered. She had been with him all the time.

"How long...?" The rest of the sentence died somewhere in his throat. Apparently his vocal chords were not quite ready for speech yet.

"Two days. "

"Vila?"

"He's all right. He's been checking in on you from time to time. He's been telling tall tales of how you shot twelve soldiers and saved him from the clutches of the Federation."

Cally was glad to see the life in Avon's eyes returning and actually saw them twinkle when he spoke.

"Vila's a fool."

The faint smile in the corners of his mouth told her the truth behind that statement.


End file.
